Notice and Opportunity to Comment on Requests for Consistency
Agreement/Concurrence Under the Texas Coastal Management Program
On January 10, 1997, the State of Texas received federal approval of the Coastal Management Program (CMP) (62 Federal Register pp. 1439 - 1440). Under federal law, federal agency activities and actions affecting the Texas coastal zone must be consistent with the CMP goals and policies identified in 31 TAC Chapter 26. Requests for federal consistency review were deemed administratively complete for the following project(s) during the period of May 19, 2025 to May 30, 2025. As required by federal law, the public is given an opportunity to comment on the consistency of proposed activities in the coastal zone undertaken or authorized by federal agencies. Pursuant to 31 TAC §§30.20(f), 30.30(h), and 30.40(e), the public comment period extends 30 days from the date published on the Texas General Land Office web site. The notice was published on the web site on Friday, June 6, 2025. The public comment period for this project will close at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 6, 2025.
Federal License and Permit Activities:
Applicant: Texas International Terminals
Location: The project site is located in Galveston Bay/Galveston Ship Channel at an area approximately 0.5 miles northwest of the intersection of Port Industrial Road and the Pelican Island Causeway, in Galveston, Galveston County, Texas.
Latitude and Longitude: 29.3033, -94.8323
Project Description: The applicant proposes to discharge dredged material into approximately 50 acres of Galveston Bay to construct a beneficial use dredge material placement area (BUDMPA) that will receive maintenance dredge material from the Texas International Terminal (TXIT) Berths (authorized by Department of the Army Permit SWG-2012-00602). The proposed BUDMPA consists of building low-profile containment levees approximately 4,315 feet long by 97 feet wide (7.5 acres), using 54,025 cubic yards (CY) of material dredged from the interior of the proposed BUDMPA, placed over geotextile fabric, and armored with 18 inches (8,220 CY) of rip rap placed at a 3:1 slope to provide erosion resistance. The low-profile containment levees will be constructed to a maximum height of +2.80 feet mean high water (MHW). Dredging of the interior of the BUDMPA will remove approximately 1,145,681 CY of material to a depth of -24 feet mean sea level and will be done with various methods, including barge-mounted excavators, pontoon excavators, and clamshell dredging. Any excess dredge material will be placed within the TXIT-owned Placement Area (PA) 5600. The interior of the BUDMPA will then be gradually filled with maintenance dredge material from the TXIT Berths until the ideal elevation (+2.3 feet MHW) is reached to allow for the establishment and growth of 41.5 acres of intertidal marsh habitat. Three cuts will then be made into the levee to create 1 acre of tidal circulation channels that allow for water and nutrient exchange and support fish and wildlife by providing a connection to the greater Galveston Bay system. The circulation channels will be deep enough to preclude the growth of vegetation in the channel and remain open water channels within the site. The circulation channels will also cross the site to create three separate wetland establishment planting areas.
The applicant stated that the main purpose of the project is to provide authorized confined placement location(s) within 5 miles of the TXIT Basin capable of receiving dredged material from the TXIT Basin via pipeline. This would allow for the utilization of smaller and more widely available dredging equipment, compared to offshore disposal, to create stability for future operations and navigation of vessels within the TXIT Basin. The applicant has not proposed to mitigate for the proposed impacts because there will be no impacts to special aquatic sites or permanent impacts to aquatic resources.
Type of Application: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit application #SWG-2025-00116. This application will be reviewed pursuant to Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. Note: The consistency review for this project may be conducted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality as part of its certification under §401 of the Clean Water Act.
CMP Project No: 25-1218-F1
Further information on the applications listed above, including a copy of the consistency certifications or consistency determinations for inspection, may be obtained from the Texas General Land Office Public Information Officer at 1700 N. Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas 78701, or via email at pialegal@glo.texas.gov. Comments should be sent to the Texas General Land Office Coastal Management Program Coordinator at the above address or via email at federal.consistency@glo.texas.gov